How long + simple present.

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hello teachers,
[color=blue]How long …? can introduce questions about the duration of an action from past to present; about an amount or period of time.
Eg.

  1. How long have you been living here?
  2. How long have you lived here?

My question:
Are the questions below asked in the simple present because I’m only asking about an amount or period of time, as the definition says, and not about the duration from past to present?

  1. How long do they have before they have to be at the restaurant?
    They have 20 minutes.
  2. How long does Peter say it takes him to get ready?
    (He says that it takes him) 10 minutes.

Thanks in advance.

2

In sentence (1) the present is used here to suggest future. In sentence (2) the present here is like quoting what Peter usually says.

3

Hello Alan,
Thanks a lot for your reply.
The context:
[color=blue]Mary: … Get ready at once! We must be at the restaurant in a quarter of an hour.
Peter: I’m watching TV. I only need a couple of minutes to get ready.

Is this question correct?
a) How long did Peter say it took him to get ready?
He said it took him a couple of minutes.

Should it be this one?
b) How long does Peter say it takes him to get ready?
He says, “it takes me a couple of minutes (to get ready).”
Is it optional “to get ready”?

RtL

4
  1. He said it took him a couple of minutes to get ready.
  2. He said it took him a couple of minutes for getting ready.
  3. He said it took him a couple of minutes getting ready.
    Are all these sentences OK? Please comment. Thanks.
5

The second isn’t.